DETROIT, Michigan, March 30 -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan issued the following news release: The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan applauds Governor Gretchen Whitmer for issuing an executive order to expand voting rights for the May 5 election while protecting the publics' health during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Governor is encouraging Michiganders to vote from home using an absentee ballot by allowing the Department of State to assist local jurisdictions in  more

DETROIT, Michigan, March 31 -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan issued the following news release: The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan applauds Governor Gretchen Whitmer for issuing an Executive Order Sunday evening to reduce the spread of Covid-19 in prisons, jails and juvenile detention centers statewide. The Governor's order includes emergency measures, modifying the County Jail Overcrowding Act (CJOA), creating an immediate path for all county sheriffs and courts t  more

DETROIT, Michigan, April 4 -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan issued the following news release: The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan (ACLU) and attorney Michael L. Steinberg won an emergency appeal to the Michigan Court of Appeals on behalf of Moneasha Ferguson, who was incarcerated without bail during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ms. Ferguson was being held in jail for the sole reason that she arrived at court 20 minutes late due to public transportation delays. Ms. Ferguso  more

DETROIT, Michigan, April 1 -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan issued the following news release: The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan (ACLU) with the State Appellate Defender Office (SADO) sent letters statewide to Michigan's chief judges and county sheriffs to release vulnerable people from jail immediately to protect the health of those incarcerated and staff amidst the COVID-19 crisis. This follows Governor Gretchen Whitmer's executive order issued on March 29 which  more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, April 4 -- The Altarum Institute issued the following news release on April 3: Today's jobs report begins to reveal the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on employment. More than 700,000 jobs were lost since February. But the world has changed even in the three weeks since these data were collected (second week of March), and the end of this story is not yet in sight. As the chart below illustrates, the loss of 43,000 health care jobs in the first month of the COVID-19 econom  more

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, April 1 -- The American Academy of Physician Assistants issued the following news release: The American Academy of PAs (AAPA) is calling on governors in all states to waive physician supervision or collaboration requirements for PAs (physician assistants) during a declared public health emergency or disaster through executive orders. PAs are required to have a supervisory or collaborative agreement with a physician in order to practice in most states. This unnecessarily c  more

WASHINGTON, April 3 -- The American Association of University Professors issued the following news: On March 27, following news reports that the Department of Education would soon be issuing its new proposed Title IX regulations, the attorneys general of 18 states (Pennsylvania, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai'i, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia) signed a l  more

DEARBORN, Michigan, March 30 -- The American Human Rights Council issued the following news release: The American Human Rights Council (AHRC-USA) joins the nation's human rights community in calling upon state governments as well as the federal authorities to address the overcrowded jail and prison populations. All prisoners as well as correctional staffers are entitled for equal protection from COVID 19 amidst the rapidly spreading novel coronavirus across the nation. It is a fact that the ov  more

DEARBORN, Michigan, March 31 -- The American Human Rights Council issued the following news release: The American Human Rights Council (AHRC-USA) expresses its profound grievance and sadness for the tragic loss of State Rep. Isaac Robinson. Mr. Robinson died on Sunday, March 29, 2020 at age 44. His death is believed to be caused by health complications caused by COVID 19.Isaac was an honorable man, a true believer in human rights. Rep. Isaac Robinson was a founding member of the AHRC. He was a  more

MIDLAND, Michigan, March 31 -- The Mackinac Center for Public Policy issued the following news release: Americans for Prosperity and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy announced a joint partnership to assist federal officials and state governors, attorneys general and lawmakers in efforts to pass critical policies benefiting American workers as the nation continues to combat the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. National and state policy responses must not only consider the very real threat to  more

TUCSON, Arizona, April 1 -- The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons issued the following news release: Daniel Dae Kim is feeling better and is "virus free." He revealed that he was taking hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, among other drugs. He urges people not to "hoard medicines" and not to self-medicate. He lives in Hawaii and has a doctor willing to prescribe these medications and a pharmacist willing to fill the prescription. / Few Americans are so lucky. In Nevada, Ohio, New  more

AMHERST, New York, April 3 -- The Center for Inquiry issued the following news release: Secular celebrants are now permitted to officiate and solemnize marriages in Michigan, after the state attorney general reversed the government's opposition to a lawsuit brought by the Center for Inquiry (CFI). Promising that the state considers CFI-trained and certified Secular Celebrants to be covered by existing statutes regarding marriage solemnization, the presiding federal court brought the case to a c  more

DETROIT, Michigan, April 3 -- Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine issued the following news release: In a letter to M. Roy Wilson, MD, president of Wayne State University, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine--a national non-profit of 12,000 doctors--urged the immediate adoption of all dogs used in the university's infamous heart failure experiments. The letter details the extreme and painful conditions and interventions the dogs are subjected to and reviews the lack of s  more

ROYAL OAK, Michigan, April 3 -- Education Trust-Midwest issued the following news release on April 2: * * * - Ed Trust-Midwest lays out suggestions for comprehensive educational response to COVID-19 learning loss as Michigan public schools close * * * The Education Trust-Midwest recognizes the difficult decision that Governor Gretchen Whitmer made to close Michigan's public schools in-person attendance for the current school year. Through this unprecedented time, the priority for all America  more

ARLINGTON, Virginia, March 31 -- The Institute for Justice issued the following news release: This morning the U.S. Supreme Court announced it would review the case of James King, an innocent college student who was savagely beaten in 2014 by a police officer and FBI agent in Grand Rapids, Michigan, after being unreasonably misidentified as a fugitive. The officers were working as members of a joint state-federal police task force. Ever since the unjustified assault, the government has played w  more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, April 2 -- The Journal of Clinical Investigation, a journal from the American Society for Clinical Investigation that says it publishes basic and phase I/II clinical research on such biomedical specialties as autoimmunity, gastroenterology, immunology, metabolism, nephrology, neuroscience, oncology, pulmonology and vascular biology, published research articles, including the following topics, in its April 1, 2020 edition: * Immune escape and immunotherapy of acute myeloid l  more

MIDLAND, Michigan, March 31 -- The Mackinac Center for Public Policy issued the following news release on March 30: The Mackinac Center for Public Policy applauds Gov. Whitmer and the Michigan Legislature for their actions to prioritize the critical needs of Michiganders by eliminating pork spending -- focusing state resources on providing essential services -- and taking bold steps to empower patients and medical providers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis. With the support  more

MIDLAND, Michigan, April 3 -- The Mackinac Center for Public Policy issued the following statement: Gov. Whitmer's decision to keep school buildings closed for the rest of the 2019-2020 year will require local districts to find safe and creative ways to educate. The requirement to submit a plan "to provide alternative modes of instruction" in order to receive further state funding sends a positive signal. But it remains to be seen to what extent districts take advantage of the added flexibility  more

LANSING, Michigan, April 4 -- The Michigan Bankers Association issued the following news release: Essential. Critical. Both words describing Michigan's banking community. The banking industry across our state reinvented itself in March. The industry, in efforts to protect the health of its customers as well as their own employees have stepped up to meet the challenges set forth by social distancing and executive orders, encouraging customers to utilize mobile and online banking services, autom  more

LANSING, Michigan, April 4 -- The Michigan Economic Development Corp. issued the following news release on April 3: The Michigan Strategic Fund has approved modifications to the Business Accelerator Fund (BAF) to provide greater support to business accelerators in Michigan's statewide SmartZone network that are serving startups and high-tech companies impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) announced today. "Around the world, Michigan is known fo  more

LANSING, Michigan, April 1 -- The Michigan League for Public Policy issued the following news release: * * * - New fact sheets offer policy recommendations to build on state and federal action * * * As the COVID-19 crisis continues to wreak havoc/have severe repercussions in Michigan and around the world, the Michigan League for Public Policy has issued a new set of policy recommendations to help keep Michigan residents healthy and economically stable. The League has produced seven fact shee  more

LANSING, Michigan, April 3 -- The Michigan League for Public Policy issued the following news release on April 2: The Michigan League for Public Policy's Kids Count in Michigan Project has state and county data on kids' internet access at home that is available on the Kids Count Data Center. Data is also online for Detroit and Flint and information on other cities is available upon request. This data is beneficial to media covering today's executive order by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer physically clo  more

LANSING, Michigan, April 3 -- Michigan Association of School Boards issued the following statement: The executive directors of the Michigan Association of Superintendents & Administrators, the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators, the Michigan Association of School Boards, and the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals, released the following statement regarding Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's decision to suspend in-person instruction in Michigan schools for the remai  more

WASHINGTON, April 4 -- The National Abortion Federation issued the following statement: In a letter, the National Abortion Federation (NAF) has asked Michigan's Governor Gretchen Whitmer to take action, preventing anti-abortion groups from using the guise of "worship services" to continue harassing patients and clinic staff despite the Governor's "Stay Home, Stay Safe" Order. The Very Reverend Katherine Hancock Ragsdale, President and CEO of NAF: As an Episcopal Priest, I appreciate your effo  more

LANSING, March 31 -- The Natural Resources Defense Council issued the following news release: Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued a moratorium on the practice of shutting off water in homes with unpaid bills. The order also requires already disconnected homes to be safely reconnected to water. For years, community activists in Detroit and Flint have been advocating for utilities to stop water shut-offs and instead adopt income-based rates and other equity measures to prevent the practice   more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, April 3 -- NSF International issued the following news release: * * * - NSF's retail food safety team first to use smartglass technology to perform global retail audits * * * At NSF International's annual retail auditor conference, food safety auditors were armed with Glass Enterprise Edition 2 wearable devices running on EyeSucceed software to deliver restaurant and supermarket audits around the world in 2020. EyeSucceed is the first testing, inspection and certificatio  more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, April 4 -- NSF International issued the following news release: Due to the evolving COVID-19 pandemic and impact on our clients, NSF International Strategic Registrations (NSF-ISR) has developed options to ensure the continuity of certification, while doing our part to protect our number one priority, the health and safety of our team members, colleagues and customers. We recognize during this time we must adapt to continue to meet the needs of our customers while still ma  more

WASHINGTON, April 2 -- Protect Our Care issued the following news: Protect Our Care is launching new ads in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin holding President Trump accountable for his failure to prepare America for the coronavirus crisis. President Trump has downplayed the threat of coronavirus from the beginning. And now, as the virus ravages communities in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and across the country, Trump's refusal to listen to medical experts and lack of preparedness is ac  more

LANSING, Michigan, April 2 -- The Michigan Economic Development Corp. issued the following news release: The Michigan Economic Development Corporation's Pure Michigan Business Connect program has launched a new grant program providing a total of $1 million in grants to Michigan's small manufacturers looking to retool and produce critical health and human service supplies in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. "Michigan has the manufacturing strength, innovation and determination to lead the cha  more

LANSING, Michigan, April 3 -- The School Finance Research Collaborative issued the following statement: The following is a statement from School Finance Research Collaborative Project Director Robert McCann reacting to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's executive order closing public school buildings for the remainder of the school year during the continuing COVID-19 pandemic: "The School Finance Research Collaborative supports Gov. Whitmer's executive order closing public school buildings for the remain  more

DEARBORN, Michigan, March 31 -- The Society of Manufacturing Engineers issued the following news release: With automakers turning out ventilators and protective face shields, brewers and distillers bottling hand sanitizer, and garment factories stitching up gowns and masks to fill a yawning gap in personal protective equipment for health care workers, the coronavirus pandemic is shining a million-watt spotlight on the critical role manufacturing plays in society. That message--and the importan  more

DEARBORN, Michigan, April 4 -- The Society of Manufacturing Engineers issued the following news release: Manufacturing faces a long march up a steep hill because of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). "There's been nothing like this," said Timothy R. Fiore, chair of the Institute for Supply Management's Manufacturing Business Research Committee. The best comparison Fiore said he could think of was the end of 1945. With World War II over, wartime production of tanks and aircraft ended and "they   more

DETROIT, Michigan, April 3 -- The United Automobile Workers issued the following statement: "As our Nation struggles with the Covid-19 pandemic, volunteer UAW-GM members are doing a tremendous service for our country by volunteering to come to work to make ventilators in Kokomo. "This is what we do at the UAW. In times of National tragedy our members time and time again step up for the good of us all. "For that reason, the UAW has worked with GM out of an abundance of caution to put in place   more

WASHINGTON, March 31 -- The International Brotherhood of Teamsters issued the following statement on March 30: The following is the official statement of Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa of the passing Michigan State Representative and former Michigan Teamsters Political Director Isaac Robinson. "I was devastated to learn of the passing of Rep. Isaac Robinson yesterday from suspected complications from coronavirus infection. "I had the good fortune to work with Isaac during his time  more

DETROIT, Michigan, March 31 -- The United Automobile Workers issued the following news: UAW President Rory L. Gamble and the International Executive Board (IEB) announced the appointment of Wilma Liebman as the Union's first-ever external Ethics Officer. Liebman is a distinguished public servant and expert in labor policy who served as the Chairman of the National Labor Relations Board under President Barack Obama from 2009-2011, having previously been appointed as a member of the NLRB by both   more